Resting is Bodhi

Our mind is often absent from home. It follows the eyes to look around and the ears to find entertainment. The mind follows the six sense faculties of the body to become active. What are the six sense faculties? Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind – these are the six windows that connect us to the world outside.

Our mind usually spins around with those six conduits, thus we become scattered and displaced. For example, by observing the surrounding objects with our eyes, visual consciousness is produced and we see all kinds of different objects. The ears produce the auditory consciousness when hearing all kinds of sounds. Nose smells and mouth tastes. Everything has its own smell or taste.  Grass smells like grass; trees smell like trees; soil smells like soil. Our body touches, to feel all kinds of things, such as softness and hardness, cold and hot, etc. Finally, our mind discriminates, desires, and attaches. Consequently, likes and dislikes arise – making us to either accept or reject things.

Thus, our mind is often not at home but turns around and around among the six sense consciousnesses. What do we need to do to let our mind come home and not to be attached to outer conditions? We need to understand that all dharmas are empty in nature, which is the teaching of Prajnaparamita (the transcendental wisdom). We need to know that everything in the world comes into existence through interconnected causes and conditions, that it is impermanent and unreal. Only in this way can we give up our attachments to the six senses so the mind returns home.

How do we let go of our attachments? It is by understanding the connection between the sense faculties, sense objects, and the sense consciousness. Our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, body, and mind correspond to the outside visible forms, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and mental objects. Then, the interaction between the sense faculties and their objects produces the discriminating and constantly changing sense consciousnesses. Our mind is captivated by this ever-changing and discriminating consciousness. That is why our mind can’t find its way home.
 
The reason why I teach you to listen to silence, to the sound of no sound, is to shed off the bodily senses, their objects, so they no longer connect with the discriminating consciousness.  In other words, we only use our ears to listen, to simply listen, so that hearing is regarded as a process without discriminating consciousnesses. When the sense faculties and their objects stop interacting, our mind will very naturally no longer be influenced by others.

Therefore, if we want our mind to be home, we need to practice Chan meditation, so it no longer attaches to the six senses and their objects. We have to contemplate that, “no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no dharmas (Heart Sutra).” Only in this way can we leave all attachments far behind and be free. Do not let your mind be glued to any place at all. Just let go. To let go means to rest. Resting is Bodhi (awakening). Resting is our awareness, our nature. When we are no longer busy, no longer attached to the six senses, our mind finds its way home.