Chan Practice for a Peaceful Mind

Chan practice is a way to guide our way home. For too long, our minds wander around because of greed. The mind wanders and gets lost in all sorts of phenomena. That’s why we are prevented from recognizing the nature of mind. Yet, Chan practice brings our mind home, the place of unarising and unceasing – the origin of the mind.

What is the mind? Sure enough, we have the physical heart that is tangible if we open up our chest in a surgery. Do not mistaken our physical heart as our true mind. Another mind has the habit to cling and attach. It is like a video recorder that takes in all the external images. Then, the mind mistaken the outer projection as our true mind. However, it is a mind of projections whereas the true mind is the primordial awareness. Such awareness transcends physical bounds and phenomena. It is formless and free from conditioning. It is unchanging. So, how should we return to the origin of our mind? Let our minds go home, the immaterial state that is not conditioned by phenomena.

We can divide the world into two: spiritual and secular; or, metaphysical and phenomenal. It is like water and ice. Spirituality is like water whereas phenomenal aspect is like ice. Water can transform into ice and vice versa. It is oneness with two sides. They are not two separate entities. The universe is not “mind-only” nor “matter-only”. When our minds return home, we’d realize that the universe is an entity of interdependence. While all the seeds sprout from earth, seeds will also return to the ground. This is a display of an entity of interdependence. We could also call it an interdependent diversity, or interconnectedness. It is the one thing with different aspects. That’s why we must communicate and build a common ground. By returning to spirituality, conflicts will cease.

Chan practice brings us back to the truth, to oneness. Everything arises from oneness. There are no conflicts among us from the very start. We must work together to build a global family with love and peace. When the mind is at peace, the world is at peace.